Solano County ready for Election Day

John Gardner, deputy registrar of voters, looks through more than 60,000 vote-by-mail ballots sent into the elections office Monday at the Solano County Government Center in Fairfield. (Conner Jay/Daily Republic)

FAIRFIELD — By 4 p.m. Monday, election workers were sorting, counting and storing the last of about 60,000 vote-by-mail ballots the office had received.

For those that haven’t turned in a ballot, it wasn’t due to a lack of options. That continued Monday as a curbside drop-off area, a group of employees in the Solano County Government Center and a full staff at the Registrar of Voters were there to take ballots.

The office was also open Saturday for the first time.

Voters now have the option to drop ballots off at the Registrar’s Office, any polling place or any city clerk’s office in Solano County. Ballots not received by Tuesday will not be counted.

The number of polling places has increased to 107, compared to 86 last year. Elections officials are urging people to double-check before going to a poll to vote, even if they have done so at a location for years. Polling places are included on the inside cover of sample ballots and can be found at www.solanocounty.com/depts/rov/default.asp.

“Now we just need the people to do their part and vote,” said John Gardner, deputy registrar of voters.

Gardner said he expected to be up to 75,000 vote-by-mail ballots at the most by Monday, after sending out 123,000.

As for results, Gardner said the first numbers should be released around 8:05 p.m. Tuesday and should update every hour or so. He said during the primary, the site would also post when the next update would be coming.

“It cuts down on the phone calls coming in asking,” he said.

During elections where the whole county is needed for results, Vallejo has been known to cause headaches. Gardner said his office tried something new during the primaries and will use it again for the southernmost city in the county.

Vallejo has 40 polling places, but two central locations will serve as a meeting place for poll workers. They will drop off the results to drivers who will make continuous trips between Fairfield and Vallejo. That will help allow elections crews to count the ballots faster and won’t put a burden on workers, Gardner said.

“When all that comes in, we are bombarded. It’s better when it trickles in,” Gardner said.

Reach Danny Bernardini at 427-6935 or [email protected] Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/dbernardinidr.

Early voting in Fairfield

Early voting in Fairfield

Early voting in Fairfield

Danny Bernardini

Danny is a newspaper man born and raised in Vacaville. He attended Chico State University and has written for the Enterprise Record and the Reporter. Covers the City of Fairfield, education and crime. A's, Warriors and Saints fan. Listener of vinyl, frequent visitor to the East Bay. Registered "decline to state" voter. Loves a good steak.